Autonomous sonar system and method
First Claim
1. An autonomous acoustic signal processing system, comprising:
- a vertical beamformer coupled to receive a plurality of hydrophone signals from a corresponding plurality of hydrophones responsive to sound in water, wherein the vertical beamformer is configured to form a plurality of vertical receive beam signals, the plurality of vertical receive beam signals representative of a respective plurality of acoustic receive beams non-directional in azimuth and directional in elevation;
an azimuth beamformer coupled to receive the plurality of vertical receive beam signals and configured to form a plurality of directional receive beam signals, the plurality of directional receive beam signals representative of a respective plurality of acoustic receive beams directional in azimuth and directional in elevation;
a loud target detection module coupled to receive the plurality of directional receive beam signals and configured to generate detections and to determine directions of one or more loud targets associated with the plurality of directional receive beam signals; and
a matrix module coupled to receive the plurality of vertical receive beam signals, coupled to receive the detections of the one or more loud targets, coupled to receive the directions of the one or more loud targets, configured to generate a covariance matrix in accordance with the plurality of vertical receive beam signals, and further configured to generate a non-inverted modified covariance matrix based upon the covariance matrix and in accordance with the detections of and directions of the loud targets.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An autonomous sonar system and method provide an arrangement capable of beamforming in three dimensions, detecting loud targets, adaptively beamforming in three dimensions to avoid the loud targets, detecting quiet targets, localizing the loud or quiet targets in range, bearing, and depth, detecting modulation of noise associated with propellers of the loud or quiet targets, generating three dimensional tracks of the loud or quiet targets in bearing, range and depth, making classification of the loud or quiet targets, assigning probabilities to the classifications, and generating classification reports according to the classifications for communication to a receiving station, all without human assistance.
41 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An autonomous acoustic signal processing system, comprising:
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a vertical beamformer coupled to receive a plurality of hydrophone signals from a corresponding plurality of hydrophones responsive to sound in water, wherein the vertical beamformer is configured to form a plurality of vertical receive beam signals, the plurality of vertical receive beam signals representative of a respective plurality of acoustic receive beams non-directional in azimuth and directional in elevation; an azimuth beamformer coupled to receive the plurality of vertical receive beam signals and configured to form a plurality of directional receive beam signals, the plurality of directional receive beam signals representative of a respective plurality of acoustic receive beams directional in azimuth and directional in elevation; a loud target detection module coupled to receive the plurality of directional receive beam signals and configured to generate detections and to determine directions of one or more loud targets associated with the plurality of directional receive beam signals; and a matrix module coupled to receive the plurality of vertical receive beam signals, coupled to receive the detections of the one or more loud targets, coupled to receive the directions of the one or more loud targets, configured to generate a covariance matrix in accordance with the plurality of vertical receive beam signals, and further configured to generate a non-inverted modified covariance matrix based upon the covariance matrix and in accordance with the detections of and directions of the loud targets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 23)
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12. A computer-implemented method of autonomous acoustic signal processing, comprising:
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forming a plurality of vertical receive beam signals using a plurality of hydrophone signals, the plurality of vertical receive beam signals representative of a respective plurality of acoustic receive beams non-directional in azimuth and directional in elevation; forming a plurality of directional receive beam signals using the plurality of vertical receive beam signals, the plurality of directional receive beam signals representative of a respective plurality of acoustic receive beams directional in azimuth and directional in elevation; generating detections of and directions of one or more loud targets associated with the plurality of directional receive beam signals; generating a covariance matrix in accordance with the plurality of vertical receive beam signals; and generating a non-inverted modified covariance matrix based upon the covariance matrix and in accordance with the detections of and directions of the loud targets. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24)
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Specification